Concert Reviews: Chagall Guevara

I knew from the beginning that this wouldn't be a "Christian" concert,
but I have to admit I never thought the first time I would get to see Steve
Taylor and Dave Perkins perform live, it would be under a large neon "Bud
Dry" sign. Hey, these guys were my ccm heroes, boldly going where no
Christian artist had gone before. So what the heck were they doing at The
Library, home of obnoxious, inebriated university students, cheesy local
bands, and the worst sound system God ever created?

They certainly didn't come to slide in any secret Christian message to
the masses, after all, the only time I heard the name "Jesus" was when the
guy in front of me got hit in the eye with a piece of ice. They clearly
didn't come to please their faithful followers of the past, for when Perkins
asked for requests, shouts of "Jim Morrison's Grave" and other "oldies" were
countered with "That's too philosophical" or "We can't remember that one."
Maybe they were just there to do a high-energy, musically tight, live
performance of their MCA debut album, Chagall Guevara. If that
was their goal, they certainly succeeded, and maybe even picked up some new
fans in the process.

After the opening band, Wet Jonah (who actually sounded like something
thrown-up by a large fish), failed to whip the crowd into a frenzy, I
wondered how Chagall Guevara would satisfy the goofy shouts of "Crue!" that
were being pelted from several drunks. When a recording of their bizarre
cut "The Wrong George" started, I figured the guys were in trouble. After
all, for some Knoxvillians this is instruction in proper phone etiquette,
and from the audience response I could see they weren't getting the joke.
CG had better do something--and quick. Coolly they broke into "The Tale O'
The Twister," its contribution to the Pump Up The Volume
soundtrack, and when Steve Taylor stepped on stage, Chagall Guevara owned
the audience for the next two hours.

Throughout intense versions of "I Need Somebody," "The Rub Of Love" and
"Escher's World" Taylor hopped, flipped, jumped, rotated and whipped his
long hair around like a giant, skinny car wash. Pausing only to invite
anyone who brought a saxophone to come up and join the band, the boys
cranked up my personal favorite, "Play God," which featured Taylor on an
interesting trombone solo. Next was "Monkey Grinder" featuring Perkins and
L. Arthur Nichols on some of the best guitar work ever heard in East
Tennessee, including the final chord which Perkins played with his teeth.
Proving that Chagall Guevara could, indeed, put its money where its mouth
is, the guys promptly produced a perfect version of "Can't You Feel The
Chains."

The band next performed their tribute to Hank Williams titled, "I Still
Know Your Number By Heart," a love tune about a guy who falls in love with
his parole officer. The audience actually danced, thanks to the solid bass
work of Wade Jaynes (who refused to sweat the entire evening). An extremely
hyper "Take Me Back To Love Canal" followed. "Love Is A Dead Language"
featured an extended instrumental jam while the aerobic Mr. Taylor took a
well deserved rest. There was no rest, however, for drummer Mike Mead as he
pounded out an exciting and flawless drum solo. Taylor rejoined the band to
close out the first set with "If It All Comes True," "Violent Blue," and
"Murder In The Big House," which showcased the award-winning Steve Taylor
cartwheels.

After a short break Chagall Guevara returned with "Candy Guru," a
rendition of Van Morrison's Them classic "Gloria," and a couple of reggae
tunes requested by the audience, which closed the performance. Instead of
hitting the showers, the guys wandered straight into the audience and
happily got to know those who braved the late hours to hear the last
note.

The Chagall Guevara performance certainly wasn't what I'm used to
calling a "Christian concert," but it was fun, artistic, energetic,
creative and painfully loud. As I left, I turned and watched the band
members enjoying talking with their fans and, I must admit, while I
witnessed them establishing new friendships and showing genuine interest in
the people, I actually felt a fresh dose of spirituality. Dang, I think
it's time to chagne my definition of "Christian concert."